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Christian Growth: Lead With A Passion To Succeed

While it is true that a leader's role within an organization is primarily viewed as one to conjure up innovative ideas and strategies, to command authority, oversight, supervision and social influence all of which are geared towards the accomplishment of common goals, I believe, the days when the Leader just sit behind his mahogany desk, sips his coffee, 'cracks his big whip,' barks a few orders for the day at those he was charged to lead, and then the work gets done, are gone!

The idea of leadership, and one leading with a passion to succeed is not a myth, it is a modern day reality, that is highly contingent upon ones' ability first and foremost to serve. It has to be more than just talk. In order to be effective and to have the greatest success, one must be willing to take leadership example from our Lord Jesus, who stood out as an exemplary servant leader, as opposed to authoritarianism.

While it may be debated, that was then, He is no longer in person here upon this earth, the general consensus ought to be, that He was and forever will be the greatest Leader of all time.

The servant leader model can be found in Mark 9:35 as Jesus spoke these words to His disciples - "Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else." In other words, to have pre-eminence, to be in the chief place in the Kingdom of God, you and I as Leaders must in humility and with meekness, consider ourselves as being in the last and lowest place and instead of thinking of ourselves more as being the master over others, SERVE those whom we have been called to lead with diligence and spirit of cheerfulness.

The key factors then, which I believe to be humility and service, must not only be extended to our friends, or kindred, or to a certain class, or even just in the body of Christ to church members alone, but to ALL, like Christ did.

A burning issue of the heart

Sad to say though, many Leaders of today, (secular and spiritual, non-Christian and Christian) find it hard to be modelled into that style of leadership. My sentimental view point, simply by their fruits - their present modus operandi, the continuing negative bottom line, their way of clutching on to power and control, and staff morality and job satisfaction that are at an all time low.

It may seem like I am digressing at this point but Church itself has become sophisticated. It has become the norm, a place for people with religious and traditional mind-sets on the verge of spiritual bankruptcy, to get together so as to carry out religious practices without any evidence of change in many who participate.

If you are in a leadership position then and you find there is still no growth, much less success, what can you do differently in order to win? Is it possible that we have persons today who in like manner, are willing to submit themselves and emulate the man call Jesus and become great at what they do? For those who are already successful, what is the driving force behind their success?

The unlikely secrets to success

Sometimes the best way that you can find your real self who God has already equipped, anointed and empowered for good work in every facet of your life, is to loose yourself in the process of change. Self introspection is not always the easiest thing for us as Leaders to do, but it is the best place to start.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." (Gandhi)

To become a worthy leader, and to lead with a passion with a view to succeed is not an overnight thing. It is one day at a time. It requires firstly, an honest self-reflection and a willingness to change your own behaviour. It cannot be always what's wrong about others, or what they are doing wrong or right. It calls for honesty with yourself, asking yourself the tough questions each day such as, 'Am I a servant leader or a self-serving leader with an agenda that no one else knows about but you.' The good news is that there are some secrets to success and once given the attention they deserve and put into practice, the results would be astounding.

Integrity - be who you say you are. Be passionate about what you do. Stand for what you believe in and believe in what you stand for. Unlearn old behaviour and re-learn others. Be of an open mind, an openness that you are not always right all of the time and have a teachable spirit that you do not know everything there is to know.

Lead into our future - This speaks to the Vision. It is about being able to see the future and creating a compelling, passionate statement about it, and then communicating the road map, including goals and strategies to others so that they are clear about where you are taking them.

Lead so that others can identify that you really know what you are about - your Mission must be clear. Your top priority is to assure the team that you not only know where you all are headed but that everyone knows what the organization is about.

Establish from the outset what are the key things that would drive everyone's behaviour. Values and beliefs are what drives people's behaviour. Articulate them and hold everyone accountable.

Lead in a way that people are willing to follow. - people are among our most valuable resources/assets in the organization. They must be treated with the uttermost respect, appreciated and recognized for the valuable contribution they make each day. Engage, empower and develop them. Involving them speaks to Team building. Empower them by keeping them up-to-date with what's taking place (knowledge) Value their output (results).

Lead to win those you serve - no one wants to operate a business with a revolving door. The natural expectation is that the client or the customer who you served today, you would have won their loyalty and they would return again for your service. Nothing kills the future of a business more than when a company's bad service just killed one of its' customer by the poor service that it gave.

Final thoughts:

For final thoughts, I leave with you a quote from Erika Anderson, a Forbes blogger, and the founding partner of Proteus International that says, "Wise leaders reflect on their experience, learn from it, and think deeply about how to incorporate their understanding going forward in making the right choices. Generous leaders share what they have - knowledge, power, authority, and resources - and perhaps most important, belief in our capability and our good intentions."

Whatever your position on this subject matter, and whether you be among the wise leader or the generous leader, lead with a passion to succeed.

Was there something in this article that stood out the most for you? What are some of the characteristics that stand out for you most in a leader that you are now following? I will love to hear your thoughts.

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